That was my first thought as well. Pirates were murderers, thieves and rapists. They were the scum of humanity, the kind of criminals who were despised even by criminals. If there was a "pirate code", then it only governed how the pirates dealt with each other on the ship, but everyone else was fair game.

I also love the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, but anyone who believes that it was really like that must be an extremely naive 12-year-old. Proudly calling yourself a "pirate" is like proudly calling yourself a "child molester".

Pirates where most cases sailors that did not have a job or outlaws that did band to survive, but there where also millitary sailors who did sail under the pirat flag to raid the enemy (but to conceal who they are)